We were surprised but pleased when a boat load of people arrived just as we opened our doors for the Cohousing Open House Day on April 29th. We had steady visitors for most of our four hours. Nobody was counting, but we estimate 50-60 folks came, which was great!

Showing off our Durham Cohousing elicits pride, but also a little nervousness. This is our home, but to have strangers walking around can feel “like living in a zoo,” as described by Sky Blue. So I was very appreciative of my neighbors’ commitment to opening our doors to the public. Our participation also directly feeds our growing list of folks interested in joining our community, when homes become available.

In collaboration with our sister cohousing communities in our region (6 established; 3 forming), we provided a list and a map to help visitors travel around.Karolyn with Elderberry Cohousing described, “Many of our open house visitors expressed their appreciation for experiencing urban, suburban and rural cohousing communities to help them decide what setting they preferred. We also got a lot of questions about consensus/decision making, what it's like to live in close proximity to each other, how work/community maintenance is accomplished and how units are sold.”

Sue from Soltera shared, “Some were people trying to start communities and looking for ideas and feedback, a few were interested in maybe buying someplace in the Triangle, and a few were just people curious about co-housing. We showed the three houses that may be available--only one for certain. A good day.”Deborah with Pacifica explained that the majority of visitors were interested in cohousing generally or in forming groups, rather than in Pacifica specifically. “Since we have no units open in the foreseeable future, this was great!”

Durham Cohousing was pleased to host three forming groups in the area: Village Hearth, Intown Neighborhood Place, and Raleigh Cohousing. From Glenda with INP, “Many thanks to Durham Central Park for being such gracious hosts and to all of the other forming community participants for sharing your ideas and feedback. Intown Neighborhood Place connected with some who have joined us remotely on the phone for our monthly meetings, as well as some who mentioned that they came to the open house specifically to learn more about INP. Many left contact information to receive future updates about our progress. All in all, it was a well attended event that showed the growing interest in cohousing here.”How did your Open House Day go?